In response to the Ebola virus, which has sickened people in three West African countries, health officials in the United States are on heightened alert to isolate any recent traveler to that region who displays its symptoms.
(AP Photo/CDC)

The patient kept in isolation at a Freehold hospital on the chance his or her symptoms were the result of the Ebola virus has improved enough to be discharged, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The move was made in consultation with experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"The patient's condition rapidly improved over the last two days, indicating a fairly minor illness. As a result, the patient was discharged from the hospital, after consultation with the CDC," said Donna Leusner of the N.J. Department of Health. "All isolation measures that were taken were done out of an abundance of caution given the patient's travel history."

The unidentified patient was brought to CentraState Medical Center by ambulance on Monday, complaining of flu-like symptoms. Because the patient had recently traveled to an unspecified country in West Africa, the person was placed in an isolation room.

“Upon arrival, the patient was escorted through a separate entrance and was immediately seen by a physician and tests were completed as part of the evaluation to determine the cause of the patient’s condition,” said Abbey M. Luterick, spokeswoman for CentraState.

After further investigation by New Jersey’s Department of Health, along with the CDC, it was determined the patient had no known exposure to Ebola, Leusner said.

“There are no reported or confirmed cases of Ebola in New Jersey at this time,” Leusner said.

“What people should understand is New Jersey has a well-established relationship with our healthcare providers and our public health officials. Our hospitals have infection control programs in which they train and are ready to deal with potential infectious patients that come through their doors at any given day,” said state Health Commissioner Mary O’Dowd.

In the wake of an unprecedented outbreak of Ebola — primarily in the West African nations of Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone — the CDC last week alerted U.S. health care systems to be vigilant in considering the possibility of Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever when treating any sick person who had recently traveled to that region.

Since then, a handful of patients have been isolated at hospitals in New York, Ohio and Maryland, along with other states. None has tested positive for the Ebola virus.

“Ebola, to spread, generally requires close contact. It is not spread by the airborne route and it is not spread by someone who is not sick,” CDC Director Tom Frieden said at a recent press briefing. “We are talking about the risk of people who are quite ill, perhaps ill enough not to be able to hide the fact that they are ill.”

If a case of Ebola arrives in the United States, health officials here are trained to thwart its spread. Much of the epidemic in West Africa can be attributed to that region’s unfamiliarity with the disease and its proper handling, Frieden said.

Calling Ebola “a dreadful and merciless virus,” he nonetheless said it presented little threat to the United States because of the health system’s ability to properly isolate and treat patients.